Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 144

134
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ JULY, 1929
day? Or was he aware that any kind of "divine " story would go down in the old mediæval Court of Kashmir ?
The story runs on : "When thus addressed by Śiva (p. 102), the goddess worshipped Ganesa and the fire became pregnant with that germ of Siva. Then, bearing the embryo of Siva, the fire shone ever in the day, as if the sun had entered into it. And then it discharged into the Ganges the germ difficult to bear,... and when the Ganas, Siva's [immortal] attendants, after a thousand years had developed it, it became a boy with six faces. Then, drinking milk with his six mouths from the breasts of the six Krittikas [Pleiades) appointed by Gauri [a name of Uma or Parvati] the boy (Karttikeya) grew big in a few days." Eventually there was war between Karttikeya and Indra, but it was made up by Siva, and Indra "consecrated " by ablutions Kårttikeya as general of his foroes. So he became the God of War.
The story is nowhere clear, and Somadeva tells it as a reason for worshipping Gaņeśa. He is confused throughout and, among other incompatibilities, calls (p. 103) Karttikeya # son of Gauri. In reality the story seems to be based on the idea of Immortality being attainable through the fire, i.e., through the Fire-Sacrifice.
14. The Water of Immortality. In his version of the legend of Karttikeya Somadeva in hesitating fashion puts forward the theory that Immortality is attainable through the Fire-Sacrifice, and it will have been cbserved that he connects the Water with the Fire in the story by making the Fire discharge the germ of Immortality into the Water, i.e.., the Ganges. Somadeva has, however, more to say about the Water of Immortality, and in The Story of Jimútavdhana's Adventures in a Former Birth (pp. 150 ff.) we hear a good deal of the Water of Immortality in connection with the legend of Garuda. The story commences with The Dispute about the Colour of the Sun's Horses. Kadrû and Vinata, the two wives of Kasyapa "had (p. 150) a dispute as the colour of the sun's horses," a statement which is by way of taking back the story as far as possible. Kadrû, the Mother of the Snakes, by a trick with their help wins, and “according to an agreement that the one who was wrong should become the slave of the other,” enslaves her co-wife Vinata. Vinata was the mother of Garuda, the great hero in the form of a bird, and "the snakes, being afraid, said to him : 'O Garuda, the gods have begun to churn the sea of milk, [this connecting the legend with another very ancient and well-known one) ; bring the nectar thence and give it to us as a substitute, and then take your mother away, for you are the chief of heroes." The nectar was ampila, the Nectar of Immortality. (p. 155).
Then follows a longer story as to how Garuda, "who had obtained the nectar by his own valour, " played a trick on the snakes by offering to place "the vessel of nectar on a pure bed of darbha [kusa) grass," and then carrying it off again ; so that the snakes "in despair licked that bed of darbha grass, thinking thete might be a drop of spilt nectar on it. The effect was that their tongues were split, and they became double tongued for nothing (p. 162)." Garuda next proceeded to destroy the snakes, and the story then goes on to an attempt by Jimûtaváhana to save one of the snakes from Garuda. Finally, Garuda, "brought tho Nectar of Immortality from hoaven and sprinkled it along the shore of the sca (pp. 155 f.)." Mr. Penzer (p. 151) refers the reader to Chauvin, Bibliographie des Ouvrages Arabs for the Eau do Jouvence, and on p. 155 gives further references in Europe to the water of Life.
Now this Water of Life or of Immortality still plays a considerable part in modern India, And is closely mixed up with the ever-living Saint (Zinda Pir) or Hero, believed in there in every part of the country. It is, therefore, of some consequence to trace the origin of the idea. One would like to know for certain whether it is Indian or an absorption into India from the West. Years ago I made a large number of notes on the subject, which I am pablishing in this Journal as research information in a series of remarks on "Buddermokan." This is a common name among sailors round the Indian coasts for shrines to their patron